Soccer will start wintering in Dollard

"This project will add to the sports facilities not only of Dollard but for the whole of the West Island," Dollard des Ormeaux Mayor Ed Janiszweski, said at a news conference Monday.

Promoter Robert Berger, of SoccerVilleDDO, called it a "dream project," saying it will help everyone, especially children, remain healthier. "Soccer is the fastest-growing sport in the country," he said, explaining that it grew from about 90 000 participants in 1995 to more than a 164 000 last year in Quebec alone.

Berger said the facility will include field space of about 100 000 square feet, enough to accommodate four, seven aside fields. It will be designed to meet FIFA and CFL standards, and may also be used for rugby, flag football, ultimate Frisbee and other activities.

SoccervilleDDO is leasing the land from the town. with an option to buy, and the facility itself will be completely privately funded with a combination of equity and debt.

The announcement for this project comes almost six years after a similar one by a company called Mondiale du Soccer which never came to be realized. With a heftier price tag of $ 18 million, it ended up being quietly cancelled. Berger said he was confident that would not be the case with SoccervilleDDO's plans. "We think their building was not realistic, a much more expensive construction, and also we think that the demand just continued to grow," he said.

Janiszewski said that he expected a private organization would be much better able to handle the operational costs and start-up fees necessary for the facility. "Public ventures are always expensive," he said. "The costs are hidden because they're subsidized."

In May, the City of Beaconsfield announced a partnership with the Lester B. Pearson School Board and the Lakeshore Soccer Club to make an indoor soccer complex out of the existing sports pitch outside Beaconsfield High School, but SoccervilleDDO and Janiszewski are not worried about the potential competition.

"There is enough room for both of us," said Berger. "Theirs will be a dome and ours will be a permanent facility," he said, though he acknowledged there would be some competition.

Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti also welcomed the announcement of the sports facility. "I'm glad to hear that there will be one in Dollard," he said. "The more there is, the better for the kids who want to play soccer."

Work on the facility will begin in the spring for a fall 2008 opening. The rental rate for fields is not set as of today, but should average between $135 and $ 190, according to Berger.